Chapter 13--The latest chapter of this older FF story is completed. Thanks for reading and for the comments and I hope you enjoy it!
The music played and the guests congregated on the dance floor and around the refreshment tables. Ginger had ditched the magazine editor and moved onto one of the starting quarterbacks for a football team back East. She curled her arm around his impressive biceps and led him to the bar. Elizabeth and Matt were still dancing as were Brian and C.J.
"So you come to these parties often," the quarterback asked.
He was all brawn, said few words and sported a diamond stud in one of his ears but he proved to be quite impressive out of uniform and decked in a tuxedo. She winked at him.
"Only when I know men like you are going to be there," she purred.
Bryan and C.J. left the floor and headed towards the bar. He ordered a scotch and she had some wine.
"You're quite a dancer," he said.
She smiled.
"So are you."
Ginger walked over bringing the football player who had begun tossing peanuts from a bowl on the bar and catching them in his mouth. While Ginger admired the deftness of his obvious talent, she felt they needed to mingle a bit.
"C.J., this must be Bryan."
C.J. just nodded, not feeling up to complimenting Ginger's grasp of the obvious.
"He's out of the mayor's office," she said.
"And you must be Ginger," he said, "I think I remember you from the other night."
She sighed.
"Oh that," she said, "Just another adventure."
He laughed.
"Is it par for the course?"
Ginger shrugged.
"Ask her," she said, gesturing to C.J., "Her ahem, best friend was responsible for that bit of excitement."
"Matt Houston's a private investigator," C.J. said, "That man had shot him several days before."
"In another restaurant," Ginger finished.
Bryan nodded slowly as if trying to understand.
"I see," he said, "Life must never be boring for you."
C.J. looked at him. Ginger chuckled.
"Oh rest assured it's not," she said, "She had a thing for him a while ago."
"For who," Brian asked.
C.J. just looked at Ginger, wanting to smack her.
"Her business partner," Ginger said, "Who's out dancing with his ex-fiancée, Elizabeth."
"Ginger, don't you have some where to go," C.J. asked.
Ginger looked at the quarterback who had returned to throwing peanuts in the air again.
"Not really," she said.
Matt and Elizabeth continued dancing until the song had ended and then he had suggested they get some refreshments at the bar. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter on the way and Matt saw where C.J. and Bryan were standing together. And then he saw Ginger who shot him a look from where she nursed her own drink.
"I see they're all together over there," Elizabeth said, wrapping her stole closer around her.
"I guess they are," Matt said, wary at the body language he was witnessing especially between C.J. and Ginger.
Gracie came over and joined them.
"That was some dancing," she said, "I think I'm worn out."
"The night's young," Ginger said, "Plenty of dances left."
She picked up her whisky and lime and took a few sips.
"Ginger, how many drinks have you had today," Elizabeth asked.
"Not nearly as many as you have," Ginger responded, "I don't start off with the champagne and work my way up. I cut to the chase."
Bryan looked across the crowd.
"Look, the senator's here," he said, "Come on C.J., I'll introduce you to him."
C.J. looked around her and nodded.
"That'll be great."
He took her arm and they walked off to where a group of people gathered around the distinguished looking man. Matt watched them go and then turned towards the others.
Gracie looked over at Ginger.
"What happened to your date," she asked.
"Oh he's talking with the bartender," Ginger said, "Somehow I don't think the chemistry's quite right."
"I danced with an airline pilot," Gracie said, "But I think he's into blonds."
Elizabeth looked at Matt.
"She's having a good time."
He blinked his eyes.
"What," he said, "Who?"
"C.J."
He furrowed his brow.
"I hope she's having fun," Matt said, "She's been working hard these past couple months. I think she was getting tired."
"That's not from working," Ginger noted, "That's from…"
Elizabeth shot her friend a warning glance.
"Working hard," she finished, "I heard she'd been traveling a lot."
Matt sipped his drink. He looked over at C.J. and Bryan and saw them talking to the senator.
"Elizabeth, he has to know the truth," Ginger said.
"Truth about what," he asked.
"C.J.'s been keeping a secret from you," Ginger said.
"What are you talking about," Matt said.
"She's…"
"Coming this way," Gracie said, taking her drink and joining C.J. who had returned without Bryan.
C.J. looked at everyone puzzled.
"What's the matter," she said, "Did I miss something?"
Matt looked at her intently.
"Ginger said something about you keeping something from me," he said.
C.J. looked at each person before shaking her head in confusion.
"I don't know what you're saying."
Ginger folded her arms.
"Oh I think you do."
"I don't," C.J. said, "Certainly nothing that's your business."
"Maybe not," Ginger conceded, "but I make it my business when my friends get hurt."
Matt looked back and forth between them.
"What, who got hurt?"
"Ginger, why are bringing this up," Elizabeth asked.
"Bringing what up," Matt said.
Ginger hesitated.
"About what happened when you two vacationed in Tahiti together," she said, gulping her whisky down.
Matt narrowed his eyes.
"Excuse me, what does that have to do with anything?"
Elizabeth glared at her friend and then smiled.
"Oh Matt, nothing at all," she said, "It's perfectly fine for you to have spent the holiday with your business partner. After all, Ginger and I headed off to Mexico and had a great time."
"I don't think that's quite the same," Ginger said, "as the kind of fun that they had in the tropics."
C.J. folded her arms.
"What happened is none of your business," she said, "And I'm not going to listen to this anymore. I'm here to have fun."
She shot them one last look and walked over to meet Brian on the dance floor. They walked over to where the band played the next song and started dancing again.
Gracie looked at Ginger.
"I suggest you take her advice, rather than standing here and engaging in idle gossip," she said.
Ginger raised her brow and then went to find the athlete. Elizabeth turned towards her and Matt.
"I'm going to the powder room," she said.
Matt sipped his Scotch.
"What's going on here," he asked.
Gracie looked at him and shrugged.
"You're smarter than that," she said, "or at least you used to be."
Matt sighed.
"What am I missing then?"
Gracie chose her words carefully.
"C.J. has been trying to talk to you for days," she said, "but you've been busy."
"I've been busy," Matt said, "So has she."
Gracie hesitated.
"She thinks that you're busy trying to get back with Elizabeth."
He put his glass down.
"Actually it's over between us," he said, "We're not getting back together."
"Could have fooled me taking her out on the dance floor like that," Gracie noted.
"We still care about each other," Matt said, "just as friends."
"You need to tell C.J. that," Gracie said, "and set her straight."
"About what," Matt said, "She's the one who set me straight two months ago. I didn't want it to be over between us. She did."
"She was worried Matt," Gracie said, "She didn't want to lose you as a friend…in case it didn't work out."
Matt ran his hand through his hair.
"That never would have happened," he said, "We've been friends for so long."
"But you were lovers for much less time," Gracie said, "and that's new ground for both of you."
He looked back out at C.J. and Bryan dancing to the music.
"She certainly seems to have moved on," he said.
Gracie shrugged.
"She's a single woman who's out having a good time," she said, "like you are with Elizabeth."
Ginger walked on over.
"Where's your friend," Gracie asked.
Ginger sat on a nearby chair.
"He's showing off his Super Bowl ring to some fans," she said, "I've already moved on."
Gracie laughed.
"I can see that."
"Elizabeth's out having a good time with the senator's aide," Elizabeth said, "He's introducing her to the senator."
"That's nice," Gracie said, "It's a party. Everyone should be having fun."
"I see C.J.'s out there dancing with that man from the mayor's entourage," Ginger said.
"He's a nice guy," Gracie said, "and he's not looking for anything serious."
Ginger tilted her head at Matt.
"How do you feel about that?"
"About what?"
"Your best friend cavorting with another man," Ginger said, blinking her eyes.
"She's a grown woman," he said, "She makes her own decisions. She's always been very responsible."
"I'm sure," Ginger said, with a derisive chuckle.
Gracie rolled her eyes at her.
"What are you getting at?"
"She'll have a decision to make pretty soon," Ginger said, "about what she brought home from the islands."
Matt looked confused.
"What are you saying," he said.
Ginger looked at him pointedly.
"About the pregnancy of course," she said.
Matt looked at her in disbelief.
"What pregnancy," he asked, his mind racing a hundred thoughts a minute.
Ginger twisted her mouth.
"Oops."
Gracie just looked at her in disgust but Ginger ignored her, dipping her finger in her drink and stirring it.
"But then that's what she probably said when she realized what happened," she continued.
"Ginger," Gracie said, her voice tinged with anger, "You are the vilest person I've met."
Ginger shrugged.
"What I can't understand is why he doesn't already know," she said, "Why she didn't tell him."
Gracie exhaled in exasperation.
"That's because she's not pregnant," she said, "She never was."
Ginger snickered.
"Yeah right," she said, "I know what I heard…"
Gracie shook her head.
"Not that it's any of your business," she said, "but what you're saying isn't true."
Ginger just looked at both of them and then grabbed her glass.
"Whatever," she said, before sauntering off.
Matt ran his hand through his hair, his face showing a myriad of emotions.
"Gracie, what's going on and I want the truth," he said.
Gracie sighed.
"She wasn't feeling well and was tired all the time," she said.
"I know that," Matt said, "She said it was from all the traveling she was doing for work."
"She thought she might be pregnant…you know from the time you spent together," Gracie said.
"Thought she was," Matt asked, "What happened?"
"She took some tests and discovered she wasn't," Gracie said, "End of story."
He started pacing.
"She should have told me," he said, "I had a right to know what was going on."
"You've been very busy lately with another woman," Gracie said.
"Yeah I guess I have," he said, "But I have to talk to her."
She put a hand on his arm.
"Wait a while until the gala's over," she said, "This isn't the place for this kind of discussion."
He nodded.
"It can wait," he said, reluctance in his voice.
C.J. and Bryan left the dance floor after the song.
"Do you want anything to drink," he asked her.
She smiled.
"Maybe some mineral water," she said, "We worked up quite a sweat out there."
"I'll be back," he promised.
C.J. watched him go and decided that she liked him and a part of her wished she felt more than that towards him. But then she knew from talking with him that he missed his ex-girlfriend more than he let on. Hopefully, they would find some way to meet in the middle and reconnect again. She groaned as she saw Ginger heading her way.
"Excuse me," she said, trying to pass her.
"Where are you going," Ginger said, "to return to Matt?"
C.J. just looked at her.
"No," she said, "I just don't want to be near you."
"What's the problem," Ginger said, "You upset that he's been spending more time with Elizabeth than you?"
C.J. shook her head.
"Hardly," she said, "I'm happy for them. Now if you'll excuse me…"
Ginger blocked her path.
"I don't believe you," she said, "In fact, I think you planned the whole thing in Tahiti."
"What are you trying to get at," C.J. asked.
"I think you tried to get pregnant so you could pull him away from Elizabeth."
C.J. looked at her shocked.
"What?"
"Not that it worked," Gracie said, "I guess he found out you're not pregnant."
"Did you say anything to him," C.J. said.
"A few words here and there," Ginger said, "Just enough so he could get the gist of it."
C.J. felt so many emotions fill her; she couldn't determine where one stopped and another begun.
"How dare you," she said, "Play around with people's private lives for your own entertainment."
"I don't play," Ginger said, "You really thought that you could hold onto him. How deluded is that?"
C.J. shook her head at Ginger.
"He and Elizabeth broke up," she said, "and it had nothing to do with me. I've given them plenty of space to work out their relationship."
"You manipulated the situation to your advantage whenever you could," Ginger said, "Controlling things from the wings."
C.J. tried to push past her.
"You're crazy," she said.
"You thought you could seduce him and tie him to you," Ginger said, "It's the oldest trick in the book but what can you expect from someone who claimed to get amnesia so she could work in the oldest profession in the book."
At those words, C.J. felt anger fill her.
"Get out of my way," she warned.
"Now Matt might not be too bright but even he can figure it out if enough time passes," Ginger said.
C.J. slapped her right across the face almost knocking her on the floor. People who were standing and talking nearby looked at the two women for a moment. C.J. just flashed Ginger one look and walked off in a rush.
Matt talked with several businessmen who had come over to him with a proposal that he liked enough to tell him he would forward it to Murray, who ran his corporation. The entire time, his mind focused on C.J., wanting the evening to end so that he could talk with her. He looked for her but couldn't see her in the large room that had filled up with even more guests in the past hour.
Gracie had left him after she ran into a club owner who had once worked for her and they began catching up on old times. Elizabeth walked up to him at the bar.
"This is a really nice party," she said.
He nodded, his mind still elsewhere. Then he looked up and saw an irate Ginger approach them, her hand over a side of her face. Elizabeth rushed over to her.
"What happened to you," she asked.
Ginger removed her hand.
"Is there a lot of damage?"
Elizabeth inspected her face.
"I can't see anything wrong with you," she said, "Did something happen?"
Ginger harrumphed.
"It most certainly did," she said, "C.J. slapped me."
Matt's brows rose when he heard that. Elizabeth's mouth dropped.
"I can't believe she would do a thing like that," she said.
Matt studied Ginger.
"She wouldn't unless you did or said something that made her very angry."
Elizabeth sighed.
"What did you do Ginger?"
Ginger looked from one to the other, her expression indignant.
"I'm the injured party here," she said, "She…assaulted me. I've already called the police to file a report."
"What did you say Ginger," Elizabeth pressed.
Ginger pressed her lips together and shrugged.
"You told her that I found out that she thought she was pregnant," Matt said.
Ginger remained silent. Elizabeth looked at her and shook her head.
"How could you Ginger," she said, then the words caught up to her, "What…?"
Ginger smiled at her friend.
"She's not actually pregnant," she said, "So there's nothing for you to worry about."
Elizabeth grew frustrated.
"Ginger, I told you," she said, "Matt and I are going our separate ways. There is no us."
"But…"
"Not another word," Elizabeth said, "and if the police do come, you're going to send them away."
Ginger shook her head.
"No, she assaulted me and I'm not about to let her get away with it."
C.J. walked through a hallway which led past several rooms. She felt a cool breeze and noticed that a door had been left open out into the gardens that had been featured in many different magazines in all their splendor. She walked outside onto a huge patio which bordered the rose garden and headed towards the path that divided the expanse of colorful flowers in half. Ahead, there stood a fountain and several benches around it. She sat down on one of them, looking out into the night. Most of her anger had dissipated and she felt calmer. Not that she really completely regretted slapping Ginger but as much as she hated to admit it, she should have told Matt about what had happened. If Ginger had found it good fodder to use against her, she had helped her in that.
"What are you doing out here," a voice said.
She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw that the man dressed as a waiter looked an awful lot like Jason.
"I should be asking you that question."
He looked down at his clothing.
"Oh that," he said, "I'm just out here moonlighting from the cop gig."
"Why are you working undercover here," C.J. asked, "Is anything going to happen?"
He looked serious.
"Hopefully not," he said, "That's why we're here."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Does this have anything to do with Clyde Jenkins?"
Jason sighed.
"He's here in L.A. to hit someone," he said, "We don't know who or what or where but it's possible there's a couple targets here that might look good to whoever hired him."
C.J. nodded.
"The senator."
"He's one possibility," Jason said, "There are several others. We don't even know if he'll be here but the brass doesn't want to take any chances."
"How did Lisa take it?"
He grimaced.
"Not long after our latest attempt at a romantic dinner," he said, "Both our cell phones went off."
"The course of true love never runs smoothly," she said.
He sat down on the bench next to her.
"How are you doing," he said, "I'm asking because most of the partygoers are inside, not out wandering the gardens."
"I'm not wandering," she corrected, "I just wanted to come out here and get some fresh air."
Jason pulled at his collar.
"It's a bit stuffy in there, in more ways than one."
She chuckled.
"At first I thought you might be coming out to arrest me," she said.
He frowned.
"Why would you think that?"
She sighed, and looked away.
"I slapped Ginger and she didn't take it well."
"What did she do to make you angry," he asked.
She hesitated.
"Nothing…It's my fault for not telling him that…"
She stopped talking.
"Telling who," Jason said, "Houston?"
She nodded.
"We kind of got together when we went to Tahiti," she said, "We aren't together now. We decided we work better as friends."
"I see," he said, "I know he cares a lot about you."
"I know," she said, "but we've been friends most of our lives and I don't want to lose that."
"Why do you assume that would happen?"
She looked at him critically.
"Wait, you're the one who said, why mess with a good thing," she said.
He grew silent a moment.
"Do you want a good thing or something even better," he asked.
"What do you mean," she asked.
"You know exactly what I mean," he said, "Do you want to remain just friends with him or do you want something more?"
"I……"
She frowned.
"I thought I just saw something in the trees over there."
He looked where she had looked and saw a shadow move.
"I'm going to see what that is," he said, "You stay right here."
He started to head towards the grove of trees, lit up only by the moon.